October 25, 2012

Quist to national Republicans: Thanks, but no thanks

1st District Republican candidate Allen Quist isn't getting any help from national Republicans when it comes to TV ads and the St. Peter farmer said that's probably for the best.

He said Republican advisors approached him about running TV ads and wanted him to use a cookie-cutter TV ad and insert his name. But he told them he had no interest in doing that.

"We are on our own an it's probably for the best," Quist said.

Instead, Quist put together this own TV ads, which he describes as "folksy," featuring his grandchildren and focused on the national debt. Meanwhile, 1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz has three slickly-produced TV ads on the air focused on his work on behalf of veterans, U.S. manufacturing and his willingness to work across the aisle. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced earlier this month it was pulling $260,000 worth of TV ads it had planned to run on behalf of Walz — a likely indication that Democrats are feeling pretty confident about the race.

The TV landscape is dramatically different than it was two years ago. The national parties on both sides of the aisle spent heavily on attack ads on behalf of Walz and his Republican rival Randy Demmer of Hayfield.